8: 10 Ways you will change when you move abroad
Does anybody remember being in middle school and high school and some people would sign it ‘HAGS’ AKA have a great summer with their signature they practiced 100 times in their notebook earlier that week, some people would write a heart felt essay in detail about how important your friendship is and the funny memories from the year (cough me) and then there were the people that would say something like ‘You’re so great, never change’. As I was thinking about this podcast episode, I was thinking about people telling you ‘you’re so great, don’t change’ but when you move abroad you will change, but not for the bad. You just become a better version of who you are. But that’s what any change will do to you really – getting married, having kids, starting a business, training for a marathon.
Challenges make us stronger, better versions of who we already were. So without further adou, here are the 10 ways I have changed since I moved abroad.
1. I talk a bit different, introducing new words and phrases.
I would say my accent hasn’t changed but the fluctuation on my sentences has changed. I’ve also introduced new words and phrases into my vocabulary.
If you’re moving somewhere where english is not the predominant language you’ll have a LOT of new words and phrases.. As you’ll be learning or continuously developing another language. At least one would hope…
2. Learn about other cultures and how they do things better than the rest of the world.
When you move abroad you’ll start to learn how other countries lie differently. How they do healthcare, their education system, how they walk everywhere, what foods they consume, where they spend their free time, their mindset, their values, religious beliefs, work-life balance… the list goes on. And you don’t have to agree with all of them, but you can choose the ones that suit you and implement the ones you like into your own life.
3. Your eyes will be opened to your old culture – AKA the great US of A.
When you move to another country, your eyes are opened to what your culture is really like back in your home country. You can see more clearly once you step out of it and spend time some away. You also constantly hear of other people’s opinions of your home country when they’ve never been there. It shines a light on what is true and what are false perceptions about your country. And when you go back and visit after being away for a while… wow, your eyes are very open to many of the things you were blind to before – some good and some bad.
4. You will gain a lot of independence and confidence.
You can independence because you’re forced to. You won’t have somebody telling you how to do things or which decisions to make. And confidence comes from repeated success. As you make more decisions on your own through your own independence, you become more confident in your ability to make those decisions and become more confident in who you are.
5. You will have the freedom to be whoever you want to be.
Nobody will know who you are. You get to build a life exactly the way you want to without expectations from others.
6. You will get to know yourself really well and get comfortable with being alone.
You will be alone sometimes, especially at the beginning while you’re building up relationships in your new city abroad. But you get used to being in your own presence and will (hopefully) grow to love it.
5. You will become more flexible and learn to adapt easier.
Just like when you travel, things inevitably go wrong and you have to figure out how to adapt.
6. You will gain now skills that help progress your career.
Having experience abroad will help you stand out as a candidate if/when you do move back to your home country.
7. You will gain an appreciation for being present where you’re at.
When you’re abroad, you’ll miss home and when you’re home you’ll miss being abroad. Both places will become home to you. And when you’re home you will appreciate being home more than ever. And when you’re abroad, you feel so grateful for the life you’ve built there. Even years later, I still feel amazed that I live in London and that I created a life here for myself.
8. You gain an appreciation to yourself for acting on the desires of your heart.
I feel so proud of myself for taking the harder route to accomplish the dream I had. People will tell you you’re so brave and if they were more brave, they would move abroad too. But when you move abroad you’ll realize it’s 90% heart and 10% courage. If you want it, you’ll make it happen. Yeah, maybe you’ll have to make sacrifices, but you’ll make it happen because you want it more than anything. And yes you have to have the courage to actually act, but if your heart’s not in it, it doesn’t matter how much courage you have.
“Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold life in your hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time.”
– Hannah Arendt
